Pages

12.17.2012

Our First Night(s) Away from the Quads!

With four babies at home, it's no secret that it's hard for the husband and I to find time to get-away. About once a month, we sneak off for a quick dinner or to catch a movie. But sometimes we need a real break. Our first night away was actually in November, when we attended a friend's wedding in which I was a bridesmaid. It took several months of planning and I must've told my mom the same things over and over and over. I printed out the quad's daily schedule, feed times and amounts and emergency phone numbers. Plus, we had dogs and cats to contend with too and both the cats receive medications every day—although my mom and step-dad took care of all the pets often while I was in the hospital for two months before having the quads.

The husband and I going baby-less!

The newlyweds during their first dance.

So it really just boiled down to one really nervous mama and lots of reassuring texts and phone calls, but we did it! My mom and step-dad took care of them like pros and we successfully stayed away one whole night! I think it helps tremendously that we have such a set schedule, that my parents know the schedule and that the quads know the schedule. Granted, the husband and I have to reevaluate the schedule every couple weeks as feed times change or decrease/increase, more activities are introduced and nap times become more mandatory rather than voluntary. Whaaattttt is that? A fan? A laundry basket? A TV? I must look at it. No babies, you must sleep.

This time, however, we booked a hotel room not far from home but just enough into town that we could enjoy the festive decor and Christmas lights, do some shopping and relax without any type of agenda. Plus, I love the holiday hustle and bustle—as my husband well knows and grudgingly accepts!—and there was plenty of that to take in this past weekend!

We set off on Saturday while my mom and step-dad kicked off the second feeding of the day, kissed all the babies goodbye and threw our bags in the truck. We got a hotel room on Priceline.com the day before, $55 people!! It was the Westin attached to the Memorial City Mall, which meant once we parked the car we didn't have to retrieve it again until we checked out the next morning.

Next, we headed out to the busy mall to browse the shops, find some dinner and catch a movie. It was so nice to have everything in one place, which made the early holiday crowd much less of a bother. As soon as we crossed the skywalk into the mall, there was a holiday show going on in the skating rink so we stopped for a few minutes to watch. I couldn't help but smile at all the little girls in pink tutus wobbling around on their ice skates and wondering if one of my three girls will turn out to be a skater—I'd love it!

We sprung for a tub of popcorn at the movie theater and caught an afternoon showing of the final Twilight movie installment. I'd read all the books when they first came out years ago and we'd seen all the movies, so we figured we might as well watch the last one! The husband said it was entertaining, at least. ;)

But my favorite part was finding the perfect ornament for our first Christmas as a family of six. The husband loves all things penguins and when we spotted it, it had to be ours! The penguin family now hands proudly on our tree at home...

After that, we grabbed sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A and ate them by the huge fireplace at the end of the food court. The husband and I love those hours—or moments, rather—that it's just the two of us sitting at a restaurant or in a quiet place and getting to talk about our plans for the future, the things we love most about our life now and, of course, our amazing fantastic quadruplets. We've come so far!

We spent the rest of our night hanging out at the room, basking in hot showers that didn't have to be under a five-minute limit and plush bath robes, tons of movies on TV and no baby monitor waking us up at night! I'll admit to tossing and turning after the 6am hour since the quads usually start rustling around about 7, but it was nice to get away and recharge.

I remember when we found out we were expecting quadruplets and we talked about how we'd work it out and how we'd approach the future of such an instant family. The one thing that's always been at the top of our priority list since Day One is each other. It was just the two of us before we had kids, and it'll be just the two of us when all the kids are grown and gone. There's nothing I treasure more than spending time with my husband and making sure he knows he's always the center of my world. Our children are more important to us than words can express, but by maintaining a healthy, happy relationship with each other, we feel we can give more to them as a thriving family and confident parents. We will always have each other's back, we'll always be each other's best friend and confidant and we'll always be a unified front when it comes to parenting our kids and setting a good example.

If you have kids—no matter if it's one or eight!—I challenge you to treat yourselves to a night out this holiday season and spend time with your wife or husband! Get the grandparents to pull a shift with the kiddos and hit up your favorite restaurant or movie theater or wine bar. It's all in the moments you make for each other...and those moments are my absolute favorite. ;)

So glad you and your hubby were able to get away.You are so right, you need that time together.Have you booked Grandma and Grandpa for New Years Eve nite;)Love Love the ring you are wearing in the first picture!And the penguin ornament is darling:)

We've managed to snag a few date nights, but never a night away. Sounds wonderful! You got a fab deal on that hotel. I always find it amazingly wonderful how our friends who are kind enough to babysit thank US for letting them do it. They are gems!

Hi there.

My name's Amber. And yes, I really have quadruplets. They're toddlers now! I'm a devoted wife, dedicated quad mom, freelance writer and a constant cook. This blog first began when the husband and I moved to Scotland for a year, and I've been blogging ever since. Now Texas Tales chronicles our busy life as a family of six. Thanks for stopping by!